"Contrary to public perception Halle has a particularly nasty temper, and she can be really controlling and vindictive.

"I've been with him when he's gotten these insane calls from Halle -- with her screaming at him and going crazy, when the poor guy hasn't done anything!" says a friend of Gabriel’s.

Things started getting tense between the two last year after Gabriel started dating other women. The source says, "Halle was absolutely furious and had a complete melt-down. She basically gave him an ultimatum -- to choose between dating other women and carrying on being on her good side.

“She was particularly angry that he had been so public, even going to a Lakers game one time, and she totally berated him, basically telling him that if he has to date, just date a nobody waitress that nobody will care about.

"Gabriel is one of the most laid-back, nicest guys that I know, but in the end he just got sick of being bossed around and told what to do by his ex-girlfriend."

Yikes! Sounds a little psycho, given the fact that Halle has been seriously dating Oliver Martinez for the last few months! The insider agrees, saying, "It's like completely hypocritical as well as she has been dating Olivier Martinez since last summer. But when Gabriel brought that up to her he said that she insisted it was different and that her relationship with Olivier was purely for business purposes. The situation is completely crazy."

Wow. This is so bizarre. I really didn’t want to think of Halle Berry as being one of those actresses in a typical “contracted” Hollywood relationship. She seems so much better than that!

As for the private investigator claims, Aubrey’s friend says, "Gabriel told me that he believes Halle is having him tailed by a private investigator, and trust me, he's not just some paranoid dude with a wild imagination. He said he's noticed a car following him a few times now and that he's just got this weird feeling that he can't shake of being watched.